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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. capital — a city
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rest — a break
  10. last — to go on
  11. cue — for pool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — final
  17. cue — a hint
  18. last — finally
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com